Review ArticleEnsete ventricosum: A Multipurpose Crop againstHunger in Ethiopia

Getahun Yemata

Bahir Dar University, College of Science, Department of Biology, Mail-79, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

Correspondence should be addressed to Getahun Yemata; gyemata12@gmail.com

Received 2 October 2019; Accepted 20 December 2019; Published 6 January 2020

Academic Editor: Tadashi Takamizo

Copyright © 2020 Getahun Yemata. (is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License,which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Ensete ventricosum is a traditional multipurpose cropmainly used as a staple/co-staple food for over 20 million people in Ethiopia.Despite this, scientific information about the crop is scarce. (ree types of food, viz., Kocho (fermented product from scrapedpseudostem and grated corm), Bulla (dehydrated juice), andAmicho (boiled corm) can be prepared from enset.(ese products areparticularly rich in carbohydrates, minerals, fibres, and phenolics, but poor in proteins. Such meals are usually served with meatand cheese to supplement proteins. As a food crop, it has useful attributes such as foods can be stored for long time, grows in widerange of environments, produces high yield per unit area, and tolerates drought. It has an irreplaceable role as a feed for animals.Enset starch is found to have higher or comparable quality to potato and maize starch and widely used as a tablet binder anddisintegrant and also in pharmaceutical gelling, drug loading, and release processes. Moreover, enset shows high genetic diversitywithin a population which in turn renders resilience and food security against the ever-changing environmental factors and landuse dynamics. (erefore, more research attention and funding should be given to magnify and make wider use of the crop.

1. Introduction

Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman is a perennial,monocarpic, herbaceous, and monocotyledonous crop [1](Figure 1). It belongs to order Zingiberales, familyMusaceae,and genus Ensete [1, 2]. Musaceae is a paleotropical family,forming the basal lineages of order Zingiberales. Accordingto [1], E. ventricosum originated in Southeast Asia. Never-theless, the wild representatives of the genus Ensete arefound throughout Africa and Southern Asia [1]. In Africa, itoccurs widely across the continent in the western, central,eastern, and southern parts [3]. Unlike its widespread dis-tribution, enset has only ever been domesticated in Ethiopia.Even within Ethiopia, enset cultivation as a food crop isconfined to a relatively small region of the southwest, inareas inhabited by speakers of Semitic, Cushitic, and Omoticlanguages [4].

E. ventricosum is a multipurpose crop commonly knownby its vernacular name enset and widely cultivated in thesouth and southwestern Ethiopia. It is a traditional crop thatmakes up the enset-based farming system. It serves as a

staple/co-staple food nourishing approximately more than20 million people in the country [5, 6]. As a food crop, ensethas several food security traits. First, the corm can beharvested at any time during the year and almost at anygrowth stage over a period of several years [7]. (e corm iscooked and consumed, relieving hunger during periods ofcritical food shortage. (us, the crop is considered as a fieldbank for food [8]. Second, enset foods can be stored for longperiods [9, 10].(ird, compared to cereals, enset gives a highfood yield per unit area. Enset growing regions of Ethiopiaare well known for their high population density which maynot be supported by any other type of land use and crop [11].Due to the high population density, each farmer has verysmall land holding and yet the population rarely faces foodshortage to eat and live because of the high productivity ofenset. Fourth, enset grows in a wide range of environmentsfrom about 1200 to 3100 meters above sea level [5, 7]. (isallows farmers to grow the plant in all parts of the countryincluding areas not suitable for cereal cultivation. Fifth, ensetis considered tolerant to drought, heavy rains, flooding, andother stress factors [9].

Hindawie Scientific World JournalVolume 2020, Article ID 6431849, 10 pageshttps://doi.org/10.1155/2020/6431849

Moreover, research results suggest that “those pop-ulations who depend on enset have never suffered fromfamine, even during Ethiopia’s tragic drought and famineprone decades of the 1970s and 1980s.” (e crop has apotential role to contribute to ensure national food security[12, 13]. However, it was only after 1991 that attention wasgiven to the crop whereby small research programs andexperimental stations were established and endowed withoperating funds and staff. (e aim of this paper is to reviewresearch findings on enset, show its significant potential as astarch source for food and other applications, and magnifyits visibility to the scientific community.

2. Diversity of Ensete ventricosum

Enset has high landrace (clone) diversity in Ethiopia.Yemataw et al. [14] have reported a total of 278 clones withdistinct names from seven enset growing zones. Hadiya isthe richest zone with a total of 59 clones followed byKembata (43), Dawro (42), Wolaita (39), Gamo Gofa (34),Gurage (31), and Sidama (30). In another study, Tsegaye [8]has identified 146 different enset clones from Sidama,Wolaita, and Hadiya zones. Similarly, Negash [15] hasrecorded 146 different enset clones from four zones (65 fromKefa-Sheka, 30 from Sidama, 45 from Hadiya, and 6 fromWolaita). Moreover, Birmeta [16] has found 111 enset clonesfrom nine enset growing areas of Ethiopia. (e reports onthe number of enset clones show high inconsistency whichcould be due to the fact that farmers distinguish landraces onthe basis of phenotypic characteristics such as petiole, midriband leaf sheath color, angle of leaf orientation, size and colorof leaves, and circumference and length of the pseudostem[17]. (e same landraces might have different vernacularnames, and the same name can be given to different clones

by the different ethnic or linguistic groups and agro-ecological zones [18]. It is naturally true that plantingmaterials (clones) are exchanged between enset farmers ofthe same or different ethnic groups, and the vernacularnames may be changed after long-term production of theclone, according to the farmer’s own favorites and language[18]. (e high phenotypic plasticity of enset clones furthercomplicates identification based on morphological andphysiological characteristics. Phenotypic plasticity is thecapacity of a single genotype to express different phenotypesunder different environmental conditions [19].

Birmeta [16] and Birmeta et al. [20] concluded that thecurrent cultivated enset clones have been domesticatedfrom a limited number of wild progenitors. However,subsequent gene flow between wild and cultivated ensetsmay have been inhibited by differences in modes ofpropagation and harvesting time. Nowadays, wild enset isclearly separated from cultivated enset and more closelyrelated to the outgroupMusa spp. [21]. In cultivated enset,genetic diversity within populations is high [22]. Despitethe large variation in agroecological conditions amongenset-growing areas, amplified fragment length poly-morphism (AFLP) studies revealed a total genetic varia-tion of only 4.8% between regions and 95.2% withinregions or populations [23]. (is may be explained by theregular long-distance exchange of clones, gene flow, andthe existence of substantial levels of phenotypic plasticityin enset due to changing weather and soil conditions[6, 23, 24]. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)results have shown that the genetic diversity in cultivatedenset in a particular area appears to be related to the extentof enset cultivation, the culture, and the distributionpattern of the different ethnic groups than geographicaldistance [16].

Leaf

Midrib

Pseudostem

Root

Corm

Leaf sheath

Inflorescence

Figure 1: Enset plant and its parts.

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Furthermore, both increasing and decreasing number oflandraces have been recorded over the years in the differentenset-growing regions. (is might be ascribed to thechanging climate, food preferences, diseases, cultivationsystems, and others [24]. For instance, farmers have in-creased the number of cultivated landraces to widen usevalues and secure availability of food and also to respond toannual climate fluctuations [24]. Two sources of variationare articulated in vegetatively propagated plants: somaticmutations and epigenetics [25]. Since plants have somaticand germline cells that appear together, somatic mutationscan be transferred to germline through cell lineage fromtheir descendants [25, 26]. In vegetatively propagated plants,somatic mutations accumulate through time and differentbranches inherit different mutations whereby the growingplant becomes a genetic mosaic resulting in unequal growthrates and genetically heterogeneous clonal descendants,which in turn contribute to intraindividual evolution[25, 26]. Moreover, the competition between cell lineages ina meristem that differ in somatic mutation leads to clonalselection or developmental selection and this filters muta-tions and results in a disproportionately high frequency ofbeneficial mutations being passed on to the next generation[25, 26]. Similarly, epigenetics is found to be important inevolution and ecology through its role in determining in-dividual and population fitness especially in response tofluctuating environments. (is is because environmentalsignals/cues influence epigenetic programming in which theinformation has the potential to pass to subsequent gen-erations through gametes [27, 28]. (e epigenetic infor-mation is transmitted either indirectly through epigeneticmark-induced behavioral/physiological changes or directlywhen the environmental factor affects the germline of theparent/interactions between the somatic cells and germline[27].

3. Enset Ecology and Cultivation

(e genus Ensete is found throughout Africa and SouthernAsia [1]. Enset flourishes in the cool tropics within a tem-perature range of 18 to 28°C. It requires a relative humidityof 60 to 80% and an annual rainfall of 1100 to 1500mm. InEthiopia, these conditions are met in the enset belt at alti-tudes between 1700 and 2450 meters above sea level (masl)[29]. However, farmers reproduce cultivated enset almostalways vegetatively and expanded its cultivation area rangefrom 1100 to 3000 masl [8]. Enset grows vigorously invarious soil types as far as they have adequate nutrient anddrainage, with pH values ranging from 5.6 to 7.3 and 2–3%organic matter [30]. Unlike banana, enset is more tolerant towet conditions. It also competes well with grasses and otherweeds to a degree that is exceptional in the Musaceae [29].Enset can also survive short periods of frost and withstandprolonged drought periods [7]. It could survive even longtime without enough rain and water [31]. Cultivated enset isan icon crop widely and densely distributed in the southernregion, some part of Oromia, and small areas of southernand eastern parts of the Amhara Region [32]. According tothe maximum entropy method for modeling species

distribution, the primary hotspot areas of cultivated ensetare found in Sidama, Gurage, Gedeo, Keffa, Sheka, Ari,Southern Omo, Benchi Maji, Arsi, and some part of Bale andWest Shewa region [32].

Wild enset grows in several African countries, outsideEthiopia [33]. Earlier reports believe that wild enset haslimited distribution in Ethiopia as compared to cultivatedenset. Accordingly, wild enset grows mainly in the vicinity ofBonga city and in a smaller area around the Omo river,inhabiting places ranging from dense forests to open shrubland, or along riverbanks [16]. In these areas, they usuallyoccur in a group of approximately 10–200 plants in apopulation [20]. On the other hand, Garedew et al. [34]found out wide distribution of the same plant in Shekaforest, Sheka zone [20]. In contrast, wild enset has beenfound highly spatially distributed in the Tigray andBenishangul Gumuz regions in addition to those regionswhere cultivated enset is found [32]. (is report is cor-roborated by herbarium records that indicate the historicaloccurrence of wild enset in those areas [7].(e higher spatialdistribution of wild enset is ascribed to the absence ofcultural influence from the local community [32]. Wild ensetreproduces naturally by seed [8] and grows better from 1036to 3129 masl [32].

Enset farming is indigenous to Ethiopia and is a com-mon feature of the farming systems in the south andsouthwestern parts of the country. It constitutes what isoften termed as the “enset-based farming system.” In thissystem, enset is grown both in the homegarden andmainland as an intercrop and monocrop mode of cropcultivation [34]. Enset-growing areas are categorized intofour subsystems based on the extent to which people dependon enset as a staple crop: (i) Sidama and Gurage where ensetis grown as a staple food and main crop. (ii) (e Gamo,Hadiya, Wolaita, Gedeo, and Ari people who use enset as acostaple crop with cereals and tuber crops [8]. (iii) Oromofarmers of southwestern Ethiopia who rely upon cereals asthe most important crops and grow enset and root crops assecondary crops. Enset is grown largely for security reasonsand eaten in the form of Kocho and Amicho (cooked corm).(iv) Sheko in southwestern Ethiopia growing root and cerealcrops as primary and secondary dietary importance, re-spectively. Enset has a minor importance. (e permanentenset-based farming system is closely linked to livestock.Dung is collected in the enclosures where the animals arekept at night and applied to enset plantations to enrich thesoil in organic matter [29].

Naturally, enset can be multiplied by seed. Nonetheless,farmers reproduce enset exclusively by vegetative propa-gation using corm (Figure 1). (is is because plants areharvested prior to seed set [35]. Enset-growing areas arecharacterized by diverse agroecologies and ethnic groupswith distinct culture and cultivation practices. (us, vege-tative propagation of enset varies with these factors [36].Accordingly, the traditional propagation processes include(1) uprooting of mother plants, (2) drying the corm, (3)splitting the corm, (4) wounding the apical meristem, (5)filling the corm with soil, manure, or gravel, and (6)planting, protection, and manuring of the propagated corm

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[36]. Several researches have been conducted so as to rec-ommend economical and effective propagation practice. Inthis regard, Buke et al. [37] have found out the shortestemergence time and the highest number of enset suckersfrom a 3.5 kg corm piece taken from the corm apex andexposed to sunlight for a day. Similarly, Karlsson et al. [38]have got earlier emergence of sprouts from split parentcorms than the whole and a corresponding number ofsuckers (sprouts) per parent corm have been obtained frompieces in which the parent corm is divided.(e high numberof vigorous suckers from split corms might be due to theremoval of the apical dominance, leaving reasonable por-tions of the parent corm to sustain initiation, growth, anddevelopment of suckers [39]. During propagation, farmersusually apply manure on the soil surface, not directly on thecorm at burial because they believe that direct contact causesrotting. However, the application of air-dried crushedmanure thoroughly mixed with soil directly on the corm inthe burial hole has produced higher number of suckers andsubsequently biomass [38, 40]. Direct application mightincrease accessibility of nutrients and limit weed growth.Unlike the belief that watering causes rotting, it has resultedin the shortest time to emergence and vigorous growth of thesuckers [38].

Each corm can yield on average 40–200 suckersdepending on method of propagation, soil conditions,cultivar type, size and age of the parent corm, amount ofrainfall, land preparation, and time of planting. Enset farmsare established exclusively from vegetatively propagatedsuckers as farmers believe seedlings that develop from seedsare small in number and less vigorous [18]. Farmers usevegetative propagation to produce enset suckers in mass andmaintain specific desirable traits of each clone/landrace [24].It is also practiced for ease of propagation and useful tocontrol gene flow from wild to cultivated enset [25]. Despitethese virtues, vegetative propagation causes the accumula-tion and dissemination of pathogens [18], loss of somecomponents of diversity, buildup of deleterious mutations,and higher competition between use of plant parts aspropagules and use as food [25].

4. Enset Foods and Their Nutritive Value

Enset is a strategic food reserve that ideally suited to bridgefood shortage, a common phenomenon in Ethiopia [8].Outside Ethiopia, the inflorescence is eaten as an enjoymentin Malawi and the flower bud is consumed as a boiledvegetable in many parts of Southeast Asia [29]. (e type andnumber of enset clones cultivated in southwestern Ethiopiavary from place to place. Large numbers of clones arecultivated for multiple purposes, under different site andclimate requirements. In each area, different clones aregrown for different purposes [24]. (is shows that thedifferent livelihood requirements of a farmer are partially orwholly covered by enset products. In areas where enset is anindigenous crop, it is the major source of human foodsupplemented with legumes and animal products [41].

Enset cultivation has been increasing over the years interms of area coverage and production. Reports have shown

that over 2 million tons of enset foods are produced eachyear. Enset crop loss is infrequent and production is high ascompared to other crops [30]. (ree main food items areprepared from enset: Kocho (fermented product from thecorm and pseudostem, Figure 1), Bulla (dehydrated productof the juice from the decortication of the pseudostem andgrating of corm), and Amicho is the stripped corm ofyounger plants of enset, boiled and consumed [41]. In 2017/18 cropping season, 127, 235, and 588 enset plants wereplanted from which 29, 307, and 635.04; 34, 782, and 944.88;and 1, 017, and 821.63 quintals of Amicho, Kocho, and Bulla,respectively, were obtained [30]. Kocho is the main ensetfood item. On average, one enset plant can produce 16.2 kgKocho, which is equivalent to 417 tons/ha. (e averageannual Kocho demand of a person can be covered by 16plants, 289 kg [42].

Enset is processed for consumption annually fromNovember to March, and processing is an entirely women’stask. (e methods used in enset processing are more or lesssimilar especially in the two steps (scraping of pseudostemand fermenting in a pit) in the various enset-growing areas[43]. (e pseudostem (Figure 1) is decorticated and scrapedto separate the pulp from the fibres. (e corm (Figure 1) isscraped into pieces.(e outputs are then chopped and addedto pit. (e starch deposits in these parts are then extractedthrough fermentation [44]. When Bulla is needed, theprocessed parts are squeezed and the resulting liquid iscollected. (is is dehydrated till forming a powder known asBulla [43]. (e fermentation period ranges from weeks to afew months and even to several years depending on envi-ronmental factors. (e product is considered ready forconsumption after 90 days from the initial processing day,but can also be kept for one or more years [29, 44].Kocho canalso be removed from the pits as needed and baked for use.Likewise, Bulla is white in color and relatively small inproduction quantity as compared toKocho, but it still fetchesa much higher price. Sometimes, corm chunks of certainenset clones are not fermented but eaten as a boiled formcalled Amicho [29].

In the traditional Kocho preparation process, a lot ofphysicochemical properties and aerobic mesophilic mi-croorganism counts have shown decreasing trend andcompletely inhibited members of Enterobacteriaceae asthe process proceeds and pH lowers down. Moreover,lactic acid bacteria and yeast have been identified as themajor microorganisms accountable for the fermentation ofKocho [45]. Diverse species of yeast such as Cryptococcusalbidus Var aerus, Guilliermondella selenospora, Rhodo-torula acheniorum, and Trichosporon beigelii have beenidentified, of which 99, 98, and 86% of them are Crypto-coccus terreus, Candida zylandase, and Kluyveramycesdelphensis, respectively [46]. However, studies revealedthat modifying the traditional Kocho processing lowerstitratable acidity, increases pH, and alters the microbialdiversity and density which subsequently improve thesensory detection of Kocho bread [47]. Kocho breadproduced by the modified Gurage Kocho processingmethod has a better sensory preference than the oneproduced by the traditional method [47]. (e findings of

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[48] have also shown that the length of fermentation time,amount of starter, and type of starter strain affects thesensory attributes of Kocho. Furthermore, blending Kocho(up to 40%) with white wheat and soybean flour hasimproved the nutritional profile including protein contentand the congeniality of the most important bread sensoryattributes such as color, texture, and taste [49].

Enset foods are very rich in carbohydrates and fibres.(equality of enset products depends on the age, type of clone,and method of processing [50]. (e best quality Kocho iswhite in color and less fibrous produced when Bulla is notextracted [48]. Corms with few fibres are especially valued asthey produce high quality Kocho. (e lowest grade Kocho isdarker and more fibrous and is an end product obtainedafter Bulla extraction [48]. Despite this perception, ensetfibre has a very important dietary value. Fibres are theportions of plant foods that are resistant to digestion by thehuman digestive enzyme. Individuals with high intakes ofdietary fibre appear to be at significantly lower risk fordeveloping coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension,diabetes, obesity, and certain gastrointestinal diseases suchas gastroesophageal reflux disease, duodenal ulcer, diver-ticulitis, constipation, and hemorrhoids [51].

Several findings have suggested the potential protectiverole of dietary fibre to rectal and colon cancer [52, 53]. (ishappens through increase in fecal bulking and viscositywhich subsequently reduce the contact time of carcinogenswithin the intestinal lumen, production of anticarcinogenshort chain fatty acids, and increase bile acid deconjugationthat further facilitates binding to carcinogens [52, 54].Moreover, dietary fibres regulate many of the risk factorssuch as hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, obesity, andtype II diabetes for coronary heart diseases. Dietary fibresprevent hypercholesterolemia by promoting the expressionof major enzymes of β-oxidation and de novo lipogenesisand control the expression of some enzymes that minimizescholesterol synthesis and augments excretion of cholesterolin bile [52, 55]. (ey also avert hypertension and obesity byslowing down carbohydrate absorption in the gut via in-creased viscosity [52].

5. Chemical Composition

(e nutritive value of enset products is evaluated in terms oftheir chemical composition. (e chemical composition ofenset dry matter as a whole plant is 90.87% organic matterand 9.13% ash. (e organic matter is again composed of5.98% crude protein, 0.84% crude fat, 9.48% crude fibre,74.57% soluble carbohydrates, and 60.62% starch [56]. (evarious enset parts have different contribution to the totaldry weight, the highest being from the pseudostem and thelowest from the leaf lamina [57] (Figure 1). (e unpro-cessed/raw pseudostem and corm are rich in soluble car-bohydrates (80%) and starch (65%), but low in proteincontent (4%). Enset corm is found to possess 17 of the 20amino acids with similar or higher concentration thanpotato. Enset leaves have 13% protein, among the highest inEthiopia, 20% crude fibre, and 10% sugar [56]. Most ensetparts are rich sources of minerals such as phosphorus,

potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and manganese[41, 57, 58].

Enset production practices vary among the differentethnic groups. Maximum fresh weight of Kocho has beenobtained in enset plants transplanted twice. Enset plantsmanaged this way produce 54.1 kg/plant and 33 t ha −1 y−1

Kocho. (is product has much higher edible dry weight andenergy yields than any other crop cultivated in Ethiopia [11].Bulla has higher energy (8.5MJ/kg) than Kocho (6.5MJ/kg).Both Kocho and Bulla are rich sources of carbohydrates.Nevertheless, Kocho has lower starch (75 g/100 g) than Bulla(89 g/100 g) on dry matter basis [59, 60]. (e average dailyintake of enset foods is 0.55 kg providing 68% of the totalenergy, the highest known, 20% of protein and 28% of iron.Both food products are poor in total fat and protein [59, 60].

According to [61], Kocho is composed of 3.6, 0.6, 0.5, 0.2,0.1, 0.03, 0.02, 0.004, 0.009, 0.006, and 0.006mg/g of K, Na,Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Ni, Cr, and Co, respectively.Similarly, Bulla is found to contain 0.8, 0.4, 0.4, 0.07, 0.05,0.02, 0.003, 0.003, 0.004, ≤0.005, and 0.006mg/g of K, Na,Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Ni, Cr, and Co, respectively. Moreor less similar concentrations of metals are reported by [60].Higher concentrations of K followed by Na, Ca, andMg havebeen reported for both foodstuffs. (ese foodstuffs are richin Ca and Zn in comparison with other similar foodstuffsand have equivalent concentrations of Cu, Fe, and Mn [61].In general, Kocho has higher concentration of most mineralnutrients than Bulla. Unlike the processed foodstuffs, thecorm (unprocessed) is found to have higher concentration ofCa, Mg, K, Zn, and Fe [58]. Cd is found in the unprocessedenset corm, while Pb is below the detectable level of themethodology [58]. However, these metals have not beendetected in processed enset products: Kocho and Bulla [61].(is shows that processing is useful in that it avoids harmfulminerals in enset food products. Moreover, research reportshave indicated that Amicho has the third highest ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and total phenolicscontent next to teff and corn [41, 58]. (is property of ensetfoods might also be related to the presence of phenyl-phenalenone type compounds. It is clear that the in vitroantioxidant capacity of teff and enset-based food ingredientsis comparable with the commonly used staple carbohydratesources such as wheat and corn [58]. Similarly, unfermentedKocho ranks third in total phenolic content while unfer-mented Bulla has the lowest [58].

Studies have revealed variations in chemical composi-tion of enset plant parts and food products. (is variation isattributed to the type of enset clone, harvesting age, man-agement practice [59], spacing and frequency of trans-planting, physical and chemical nature of the soil, method ofcultivation, climatic conditions [23], and length of fer-mentation period [47]. According to [62], Bulla from theGewada enset clone has a higher fat, fibre, carbohydrate,energy, and iron than other clones. Similarly, higher ashcontent and Ca concentration have been reported from Bullaof the Yanbule clone. Bulla extracted from Zereta andMessena clones is found to have higher protein content thanthe remaining clones [62]. Likewise, higher crude protein,crude fat, carbohydrate contents, higher crude fibre, total

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ash, and moisture contents have been reported in Kinnareand Astare clones of the Gurage zone, respectively [47]. (echemical composition of enset food items (Kocho, Bulla, andAmicho) also varies between cultivated and wild clones.Generally, cultivated enset clones have found to possesshigher protein, fat, sugar, and minerals than the wild ensetgenotypes. Drought affects the chemical composition ofenset parts. Extended drought has significantly reducedstarch, crude protein, ash content, and potassium andphosphorus concentrations of the enset pseudostem andcorm [63]. Talema and Fetene [64] have found nonsignifi-cant variation in total nitrogen and crude protein contentwhen the same clones are subjected to drought stress. (isdeviation might be caused by difference in sample pro-cessing and chemical determination methods. On thecontrary, the crude fibre content, soluble sugars, and calciumlevels have shown a significant increment in enset plant partssubjected to drought. Enset plants under drought have 2–4folds greater soluble sugars than normally irrigated ones.(e concentrations of crude fat content and/or magnesiumremained unchanged [63].

Moreover, the composition enset foods show significantvariation throughout the fermentation period. A significantreduction in total protein (15%), ash (16%), total carbohy-drates (34%), starch (23%), soluble sugars (93%), reducingsugars (84%), and available carbohydrates (51%) has beenreported after seven weeks of fermentation [65]. Contrary tothis, the amounts of free amino acids and nonprotein ni-trogen have increased by 6 and 1.6 fold, respectively. Organicacids such as lactic acid, isovaleric, and n-butyric acidsfollowed by n-valeric acid and acetic acid are found to be themost abundant at the end of fermentation [65]. Moreover,the concentration of minerals such as iron (15%), phos-phorus (29%), and calcium (51%) has been reduced throughtime. (is might be related to the sharp lowering of pH(acidic pH). Against this finding, Bekele [62] has foundincreased protein, fat, ash, carbohydrate, total energy,mineral, and titratable acidity concentrations in the Bullaraw sample under prolonged fermentation.

6. Enset as Feed for Animals

Enset-growing areas are characterized by highest populationdensity in Ethiopia, where the land holding of each farmer isvery small [11]. In spite of the complementary relationshipbetween crops and animals, as crop residues are used asanimal feed and animals produce manure for crops in theenset-based farming system, most farmers lack grazinglands. In support of this, Menbere [66] has identified landand feed shortage and population pressure as major prob-lems to the availability of animal feed in the area. (e feedshortage has been tackled by using enset plant parts (leaf,pseudostem, and corm) both as basal feed and supplementfor animals. Farmers have ranked nonconventional feedssuch as enset as the best nutritious feed [67] and the ac-ceptable level of consumption, the chemical composition,and the rate of degradability have found to be comparable orbetter than other typical animal feeds. Attributed to the highwater content (85–90%), enset is especially important as an

animal feed during the dry seasons when other feeds arescarce [56, 57].

In addition to its high water content, enset has a richnutrient content. (e leaf for instance contains high crudeprotein comparable to Desmodium intortum [57], fat, sugar,fibre, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin and lower solublecarbohydrates and starch comparable to the common localbrowse tree, Sesbania sesban [56]. (e leaf has low drymatter degradability [57], but better than straw and bananaand similar to stover and Chloris guyana [68]. (us, sourcesof fermentable energy are necessary for the efficient utili-zation of the enset leaf as a feed [56, 57]. Unlike the ensetleaf, the pseudostem and corm possess the highest solublecarbohydrates and starch [56]. (e corm is also suitable forensilage [56]. Furthermore, the results of several researchesrevealed that pseudostem, corm, and whole enset havehigher dry matter degradability as compared to Desmodiumintortum, wheat straw, Chloris guyana, setaria grass, ele-phant grass, and guatemala grass [57, 67, 68].

When examined in terms of nutrient composition andfeed characteristics, greater total CP intakes, dry and organicmatter digestibility coefficients, daily body weight gain, andfeed conversion efficiency have been obtained in sheet whena basal diet of Rhodes grass hay is supplemented with dif-ferent proportions of corm [69]. Based on their findings,Nurfeta and Eik [69] have recommended 129 g/DM/day ofenset corm supplement as an alternative energy source toimprove the productivity of sheep for small-scale farmersunder enset livestock production systems. Unlike the leaf,treating the enset pseudostem with urea has brought asignificant effect on dry matter intake [67, 68]. Similarly, theleaf has the highest neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and aciddetergent fibre (ADF) as compared to other feeds [67, 68].Opposite to this, research findings have shown lower NDF,ADF, and in vitro dry matter degradability (IVDMD)equivalent to the value reported for the best legume forages[67, 68]. (e pseudostem has also the highest degradationrate (85.8%) after 48 hrs of incubation. Findings indicate thata complete animal feed can be formulated from enset as theleaf serves as a rich source of protein, and pseudostem andcorm could be good sources of energy [57].

7. Industrial Applications

Starch is the major component of enset products. It has alively and wider application in the pharmaceutical indus-tries. Currently, it is used as a tablet binder and disintegrantand also in pharmaceutical gelling, drug loading, and releaseprocesses [70]. Studies have shown that enset starch has 29%amylose content, granule size, X-ray diffraction pattern, andgelatinization temperature that are comparable to potatostarch, the commonly used material in pharmaceutical in-dustries [71]. Nevertheless, enset starch has inferior qualitythan potato starch and superior quality than maize starch interms of swelling powder, solubility, and peak viscosity [71].Viscosity is a physical parameter referring to the level ofresistance of a liquid to flow. (is parameter affects theextrudability, spreadability, release of drug, and otherphysicochemical properties in gel formulations [72].

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Research results of Gebre-Mariam and Nikolayev [73] andBeyene [74] have illustrated that enset starch can be usedboth as a tablet binder and disintegrant, possessing a betterbinding ability and less disintegrating power than potatostarch.

(e quality of enset starch used in the pharmaceuticalindustries can be improved and augmented by undertakingchemical, physical, or enzymatic modifications. For instance,cross-linking enset starch with microwave power and re-action time has produced a higher drug loading ratio andencapsulation efficiency than cross-linked cassava and po-tato starches [75]. (is is because the cross-linking mightform a dense enset starch matrix that could hold relativelylarge quantity of drugs relative to the less dense ones. Be-sides, the cross-linked enset starch matrix has released about90% of the model drug, paracetamol, after 12 h showing itspotential application in drug release sustaining pharma-ceutical excipient [75]. Some poor properties of enset starchhave not been improved by cross-linking. On the otherhand, increased swelling powder and solubility and im-proved flow property and compactability have been obtainedby acetylation and carboxymethylation substitution [72, 76].Higher degrees of enset starch substitution have resulted inhigh tensile strength and longer disintegration time thatsubsequently make the material suitable for sustained-re-lease drug formulations [72, 76].

Enset starch is also used as a gelling agent. (e squeezedand dehydrated product of enset (Bulla) is used as a gellingagent substituting agar in in vitro propagation. According toAyenew et al. [77], dried Bulla is used as a gelling agent,capable of producing an equivalent number of shoots, roots,leaves, shoot height, and associated fresh weight of plantletsin pineapple as agar. In Ethiopia, enset is basically cultivatedfor its starchy food. However, in the process, large amountsof biomass residues (byproducts) are produced mainly frompseudostem (leaf sheath) after being decorticated. Enset fibreis one such byproduct traditionally used to make sacks, bags,ropes, cordage, mats, and sieves in the rural areas [78]. It hasan excellent structure and a strength equivalent to the fibreof abaca. Approximately, 600 tons of enset fibres have beensent to factories each year. (is implies that enset fibre has awide application in paper and pulp industries and also inconstruction as reinforcement in gypsum room decorationsand panels [79].

Several studies have been done on morphological andchemical characterization of enset residue fibres. (emorphological analysis reports have revealed longer fibrelength, tinny cell wall thickness, large lumen diameter, thickfibre width [80], high tensile strength [79, 81], elongation atbreak, crystallinity index, and high thermal stability [81]compared to hard woods, agricultural residues, and bagasse.Chemically, enset residue fibre is found to possess thehighest cellulose and smallest lignin and extractives ascompared to the leaf fibre [80, 81], which is a plus quality forthe fibre. Due to the positive correlation between fibre lengthand burst strength, tensile and tear strength and foldingendurance have been estimated to produce strong paper[82]. (e most important quality indicator to assess thesuitability of any raw material for pulp and paper

manufacturing is the Runkel ratio. (is ratio is twice theratio of wall thickness to lumen diameter. Any value belowthe standard (1) indicates acceptable pulp strength. (eRunkel ratio of enset fibre is found to be 0.23 [80] which isvery much lower than the standard. Lower Runkel ratiomeans thin fibre wall and larger fibre lumen width. (epresence of thin fibre wall is appropriate for high quality,dense, and well-formed paper production [82].

(e morphological and chemical analysis demonstratesthat enset fibre fulfills fairly good properties for paper andpulp production except for its slenderness ratio [82]. (eslenderness ratio of enset fibre is reported to be 58.4 [80],which is below the recommended value of 70. (is impliesthat paper made from enset residue fibre could have low tearstrength and thus may not be appropriate for wrapping andpackaging purposes. Slenderness ratio also affects tensile andshattering strength of the fibre. Nevertheless, this property ofenset residue fibre is compromised by the thin cell wallthickness [82]. In general, findings of several studies dem-onstrate that enset fibre has comparable properties to manyof the world-class natural fibres such as abaca, flax, sisal,hemp, jute, kenaf, and ramie fibres [79–81, 83]. In spite ofthese qualities and potential, enset fibre has not beenexploited for a variety of applications.

8. Medicinal Uses of Enset

Enset plays an important role in local medicine. Differentenset clones are used for the same human and cattle ailmentsby the several ethnic groups. (e leaves followed by the stemare the most frequently used parts for medicine [84]. (eboiled Amicho and Bulla of the Tayo clone in Bonga [85],Ado, Genticha, Midasho, Gediwocho, and Kiticho clones inthe Sidama zone [86] are mixed with milk and used to treatbroken bone fractures and swellings with pus.(eAmicho ofthe Choro clone in Bonga [85] and Asikala in Sidama [86]are formulated with butter and milk and given to womenafter delivery to stimulate placenta discharge. (e Amicho ofboth enset clones supplemented with salt is given to dairycows to cure similar ailments [85]. Similarly, the Amicho ofAstara and Qibnar enset clones in Gedebano GutazerWelene district, Gurage zone, has the same medicinal valueas the abovementioned clones in Bonga and Sidama zones[84].

9. Conclusion

(is review describes the versatile nature of E. ventricosumas a staple food and feed crop and important source ofmaterials for traditional and industrial applications. Ensetshows high genetic diversity within a population than be-tween regions. (is might be ascribed to the long-distanceexchange of clones, gene flow, and high level of phenotypicplasticity. As a food crop, enset has several desirable traitssuch as the corm can be harvested at any time, enset foodscan be stored for long periods, produces high yield per unitarea, grows in a wide environmental range, and tolerant todrought, flooding, and high temperature. (ree food items,namely, Kocho, Bulla, and Amicho are produced from the

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enset pseudostem and corm. (e different ethnic groupshave more or less similar food processing techniques. Ensetfoods are extremely rich in carbohydrates, minerals, andfibres, but poor in proteins.(e leaf and pseudostem are alsoexcellent feeds to animals, more importantly during the dryseason when other sources are absent. Furthermore, ensetstarch has been used as a tablet binder, disintegrant, andgelling agent in the pharmaceutical industries. However, theresearch efforts so far did not bring any significant im-provement in exploiting the crop to the maximum potential.(erefore, more research towards magnifying the desirabletraits and wider expansion and utilization of the cropthroughout the country is recommended.

Conflicts of Interest

(e author declares that there are no conflicts of interest.

Acknowledgments

(e author is grateful to all enset farmers who have beenengaged in the cultivation, diversification, and conservationof this multipurpose traditional crop for years in Ethiopia.

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Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Neuroscience Journal

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BioMed Research International

Cell BiologyInternational Journal of

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Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

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ArchaeaHindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Hindawiwww.hindawi.com Volume 2018

Genetics Research International

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Advances in

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Enzyme Research

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International Journal of

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Nucleic AcidsJournal of

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